Reconstructive Surgery

[Dr. Mc Smile]

Hello out there!!

I have recently become interested in reconstructive surgery. My specific interest lies in what I believe is called the "facial and cranial" specialty area. As you can see I know little about it, but as I am at the beginning of the process I am considering everything. This one intrigued me because it seems that it would be highly rewarding, while also allowing for continuity of care in some cases, as well as, an amazing challenge each time I would enter the O.R. Basically, if anyone has any insight I'd really like to hear it.

thanks,
julie, MS1

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[Dr. Mc Smile]

Okay, so I spoke w/ a MSIV going into Otolaryngology (head & neck) and she said there are a few possibly routes to get to this type of reconstructive surgery. First, the plastics route via either gen surg. then a fellowship (or possibly two) or a combined plastics program, or ENT then on to a plastics fellowship. Basically, somewhere between 6-9 years or so. Also, she mentioned that it is quite difficult to secure the plastic combined residency slots, but going through gen surg. or ENT is not quite as bad. This sounds like solid advice, but I think I'll be able to get a more definite answer next week when our lab will undoubtedly be filled w/ head and neck surgeons. If anyone else has anything helpful to add or just comment on please feel free.

Thanks again,
julie
MS1

 

[droliver]

Julie,

the real complex reconstructive head & neck surgery being done, is for the most part by Plastic Surgeons and Oral Surgeons. If this is your goal, you're much more likely to get a PRS position (statistically speaking) if you go the general surgery vs. ENT route. There are some ENT programs who do some of their own free-tissue transfer reconstruction during residency but it seems to be a minority of programs & not really a focus. Speaking to my ENT colleagues here, they had no interest in going to a program that did a lot of advanced reconstruction as they had no plans on doing it in practice - it really is not a very financially rewarding area as opposed to the tumor resection part of the case & it takes hours after what can be a very long case to begin with. It also seems that ENT "facial plastic" felowships are geared more towards cosmetic procedures than reconstruction & would not be what you're looking for. If you really want to get advanced training, you'd prob. go on to do a Craniofacial fellowship or one of the reconstructive fellowships @ some of the major Cancer Hospitals around the country.

 

[millmm]

just curious, are certian fellowships allowed for the DDS, MD OMS people, like craniofacial or tumor reconstrucitve. If so can these people become board certified in say craniofacial with the Oral and Maxillofacial residency and not general or plastics?

 

[droliver]

There is no "board-certification" as such for craniofacial surgery. The craniofacial fellowships in the traditional sense all require board-eligibility in Plastic Surgery to apply for them I think (its thru the SFMatch process). There might be some similar subspecialization fellowships thru OMFS but these aren't the same thing. A lot of the things you would get in a craniofacial fellowship would prob. be somewhat redundant for a well-trained oral surgeon, but represent techniques that you would need more exposure with from a PRS background (like some of the advanced osteotomy techniques)